Nature Activity
All About Animal Tracks
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Footprints tell you the direction the animal was traveling. The size of the footprints give you a pretty good idea about the size of the animal. If you see footprints in pairs, directly side-by-side, the animal is hopping or bounding like birds and it probably lives in a tree or bush. In most cases the front footprints will be smaller than the rear ones. Animal tracks are just holes in the ground, but you can collect the footprints by taking casts of them.
Did you do this? Send us a photo and we will post it!
Supplies Needed:
- Half-gallon cardboard milk carton*
- Scissors
- Plaster of Paris
- Water
- Stick
- Small shovel
- Newspaper
- Small brush—like a toothbrush
* You can use a variety of items, plastic half gallon jug, small, cardboard box, etc.
Bear Tracks in the mud
Just like God gave each animal a unique footprint that makes them different from other animals, God made each one of us different. No two of us are alike! Not only do we look different but we each have different fingerprints. Even though we are different, Jesus loves us the same. Remember, He gave Himself just for YOU.
Look up these Bible texts and see how they apply:
Steps:
- Find clear animal track prints in mud or hard sand. Try to get one of each foot if possible, or at least a front and back.
- Cut the carton in half with the top half cut into 1-inch rings.
- Place the rings around the tracks, and push them carefully into the mud or sand.
- In the bottom half of the carton, mix 1 cup of plaster with ½ cup water until the mixture is the consistency of pancake batter (not too runny).
- Gently pour the mixture into the rings.
- Let the plaster harden in the molds for around one hour.
- Carefully dig up the casts, and wrap them in newspaper.
- Let the molds harden for several hours. Remove the carton rings, and clean them with water and a brush. (An old toothbrush works well.)
- What you have now is the raised impressions of the tracks. You can use the cast to make the same tracks in clay.
Animal Feet Facts:
- A deer, like sheep and goats have what is called a cloven hoof.
- Geckos have super sticky feet lined with SETAE hairs. Check out the Crested Gecko to learn more!
- Elephants communicate with their feet by picking up vibrations and stomping
- An ostrich only has two toes.
- The blue-footed booby gets it’s brilliant blue feet from carotenoid pigments from eating a diet of fresh fish.
* You can use a variety of items, plastic half gallon jug, small, cardboard box, etc.
Can you identify these tracks?